Roasted Delicata Squash Salad Recipe
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When fall comes around, pumpkin and butternut squash always seem to steal the spotlight from the other squash. This simple dish puts the sweet delicata front and center and pairs it with pumpkin seeds and ricotta salata.
What to buy: Ricotta salata is a semihard Italian cheese that can be found at most gourmet markets or Italian groceries. If you can’t find it, you can substitute crumbled feta (which will be a bit saltier) or just leave it out.
Saba is resqueezed and cooked wine-grape must (the leavings of grape pressings), and it tastes something like wine-flavored molasses. It can be found in gourmet grocery stores and online.
This recipe was featured as part of our 2009 Presidential Inauguration Menu, as well as our Fall Ingredients and Supercharge with Superfoods photo galleries.
- 1 medium delicata squash, seeded and sliced into 1/2-inch-thick rings
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for brushing
- 4 ounces spinach, washed, dried, and torn into bite-size pieces (about 7 cups)
- 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- 1/3 cup roasted and salted pumpkin seeds
- 2 ounces shaved ricotta salata
- Saba, for drizzling (optional)
- Heat the oven to 400°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Brush squash rings with olive oil on both sides and place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast until the underside of the squash rings is blistery and brown and fork tender, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, transfer cleaned spinach to a large bowl, cover with a damp paper towel, and reserve in the refrigerator.
- When the squash is almost ready, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a small frying pan. When it shimmers, add shallot and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook until tender and beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the vinegar, scraping up any bits that are stuck to the bottom, and immediately remove from heat.
- Pour shallot mixture over reserved spinach and toss to combine. Season with additional salt and freshly ground black pepper as desired.
- To serve, layer squash with spinach and top with pumpkin seeds. Sprinkle with ricotta salata and drizzle with saba (if using).
Beverage pairing: Naia Verdejo, Spain. This dish has a pungent sharpness from the sherry vinegar, shallot, and ricotta salata. The squash brings a little sweetness. All of these are qualities shared by this Verdejo, which has a lemony sharpness mellowed by vanilla and honeysuckle.
LNG212,
That is the beauty of delicata squash, it is one of the very few winter squashes that doesn't need to be peeled, once cooked you can eat it, skin and all.
I made this tonight -- I just realized I forgot to add the ricotta salata! I peeled the squash before I baked it, I used salad mix because the baby spinach didn't look good, and I used some aged balsamic vinegar instead of the saba.
I had looked long and hard for a winter salad recipe that didn't have blue cheese (sister doesn't like), beets (dad doesn't like) and/or nuts (niece is allergic -- I've use pumpkin seeds instead of nuts cooking for her before, so this was perfect). Everyone really enjoyed it even without the ricotta salata!
The recipe doesn't say to peel the delicata so I didn't. But that was weird; so I ended up trying to get the peel off after it was cooked. Was it supposed to be peeled first?
The salad in the end was terrific. The saba added a nice note with the ricotta salata.
Uccellino,
You could use parmesan, but feta might be a better substitute, because of it's briny, salty nature that is also found in ricotta salata.
I could not find a delicata squash, so I used a turban squash, it worked well, the ricotta salata was great! My first time using it, very salty, but added the high note to bounce off the sherry vinegar with the squash and spinach filling up the lows. Nice salad.
I could not find a delicata squash, so I used a turban squash, it worked well, the ricotta salata was great! My first time using it, very salty, but added the high note to bounce off the sherry vinegar with the squash and spinach filling up the lows. Nice salad.
It sounds great, I'll try it some day, could I use shaved parmesan instead of ricotta salata?